14 of the Healthiest Breakfast Foods

14 of the Healthiest Breakfast Foods

Want to start your day off right by eating a healthy breakfast? These are the foods you should be eating!

1. Apples

The old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” certainly has some merit. The number of health benefits apples can provide is absolutely staggering. Studies have shown that eating apples can lower high cholesterol and blood pressure, aid your digestion, support your immune system, prevent cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease, and support weight loss.

They are also high in fiber and are a delicious, sweet addition to any breakfast. One of our favorite ways to eat apples in the morning is to slice them into wedges, sprinkle some cinnamon on top, and dip them in peanut butter or some other form of nut butter. Just make sure that the butter you use doesn’t have a ton of added sugar!

2. Avocados

Avocados are super trendy right now, and there’s a reason for that! They are delicious and filled with health benefits. Okay, that’s two reasons, but you get the point. Avocados are one of the healthiest foods to eat in the morning and at any time of the day really.

This odd-looking fruit has an excellent combination of heart-healthy fats, water, and dietary fiber. When combined, these attributes will help you feel full throughout the day, and the unsaturated fats in avocados have also been linked to a decreased risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.

3. Bananas

No healthy breakfast is complete without a good old-fashioned banana. Bananas are extremely versatile which makes them all the more appealing. You can put them in smoothies, eat them by themselves, mix them in with other types of fruit, or turn them into pancakes.

Yes, you read that correctly. You can make PANCAKES out of bananas. All it takes is two ingredients: bananas and eggs. With this incredibly simple recipe, you can turn pancakes into one of the healthiest breakfast foods imaginable. Now that’s something we never thought was possible.

4. Berries

Four entries into this list, and we still haven’t talked about anything other than fruit! What can we say? Fruit is very good for you (and it just so happens that these particular fruits come first in our alphabetical list). As for berries, there are so many different kinds (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries) that we decided to group them all together.

Each type of berry is equipped with its own unique health benefits, but as a general rule of thumb, berries have been known to reduce inflammation, prevent blood cholesterol from oxidizing, and keep the cells in your blood vessels healthy. A cup of berries should do the trick; we recommend mixing them into yogurt!

5. Coffee

Here is the moment you’ve all been waiting for. You should continue to start your day by drinking coffee, as it is one of the healthiest drinks on the planet. Everyone knows that coffee is high in caffeine which has been shown to improve your mood, alertness, and mental performance.

In addition to being high in caffeine, coffee is rich in antioxidants and has been shown to increase your body’s metabolic rate and ability to burn calories. You can finally put those worries that coffee isn’t good for you to rest. However, the best way to drink coffee is black. The more sugar, cream, and flavored syrup you add to it, the unhealthier it becomes.

6. Cottage Cheese

So, why is it called cottage cheese?

How should we know? Maybe it’s made in a cottage.

Well, who cares? Cottage cheese continues to be one of the healthiest types of cheese and is a cornerstone of any balanced breakfast. A single cup of cottage cheese has a whopping 25 grams of protein, meaning it rivals eggs in terms of its protein levels and ability to fill your belly.

Sure, cottage cheese may not be for everyone, but if you like it, you should definitely make it one of your staple breakfast foods.

7. Eggs

We bet you were wondering when we were going to get to this classic breakfast food. Unfortunately, we have nothing controversial to say about eggs, as they are undoubtedly one of the healthiest ways to start off your day.

We can’t think of a single bad thing to say about eggs. They have been shown to increase feelings of fullness, reduce your calorie intake at your next meal, maintain blood sugar and insulin levels, prevent eye disorders like cataracts, and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Not to mention that there are a TON of ways to prepare eggs. There’s bound to be one that becomes a breakfast favorite.

8. Nuts

Nuts are a great source of fat, fiber, and protein and are a perfect addition to a number of breakfast foods like cereal, oatmeal, and yogurt. However, some nuts are healthier than others. The list of healthiest nuts includes almonds, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, and pecans.

The health benefits associated with nuts also extend to nut butters, but we recommended eating butters that are made almost exclusively of nuts. Avoid butters that have excessive amounts of oil and sugar, as these are far less healthy for you.

9. Oats

The best types of oats are sprouted, non-GMO, whole grain, steel-cut oats. This variety of oats is filled to the brim with fiber, plant-based protein, vitamin B, and minerals like iron, calcium, and magnesium.

Oats are a great addition to yogurt or cereal or can be eaten as good old-fashioned oatmeal. We love to add blueberries, cinnamon, and honey to our oatmeal. Thanks to their ability to lower cholesterol levels, oats have also been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease.

10. Seeds

Just like nuts, there are so many different types of seeds, with some providing more health benefits than others. Some of the healthiest types of seeds include chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, and sunflower seeds.

These types of seeds contain minerals like zinc, magnesium, iron, and calcium which help boost immunity and promote a healthy diet. Additionally, seeds, are a great source of both fiber and protein (that’s becoming quite the trend on this list, huh?).

11. Spinach

Our first vegetable on this list, spinach is, let’s face it, a superfood. Like avocados, it is hard to go wrong with this green, leafy delicacy. Okay, maybe eating straight spinach isn’t the most delectable treat in the world (you’ll never know until you try it!), its lack of a strong flavor makes it a great addition to omelets, egg scrambles, or even smoothies!

Compounds that can be found in spinach help to boost your heart health, and it is very high in both Vitamin A and nitrates, the latter of which helps to keep your blood sugar levels low. We recommend that you give spinach a shot. It might not sound terribly appetizing, but you would be surprised!

12. Sweet Potatoes

Most people probably wouldn’t consider sweet potatoes to be a breakfast food, but that’s where we differ. Sweet potatoes make for an excellent morning snack, and they are extremely good for you to boot!

A single sweet potato (yes, just one) is enough to provide you with nearly 400% of your recommended daily Vitamin A intake. Sheesh. The orange skin of a sweet potato is filled with beta-carotene, which boosts immunity, and sweet potatoes are also filled with fiber.

Next time you find yourself craving some toast, a muffin, or a waffle for breakfast, try giving a sweet potato a shot instead. You might be surprised at how much you enjoy it.

13. Tea

Just like coffee, tea, particularly green tea and black tea, is one of the healthiest drinks you can partake in. Tea that is derived from actual tea leaves contains caffeine, which helps to boost your mood and mental performance.

However, if you’re not in the mood for a caffeine fix, there are a ton of herbal teas that are completely free of caffeine and provide numerous health benefits as well.

Drinking green tea has been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk and support weight loss, and it is a whopping zero calories to boot! 

14. Yogurt

Last but not least, we have a breakfast classic: Greek yogurt (UNsweetened Greek yogurt, to be more precise). Yogurt is amazing and amazingly good for you as well.

It’s perfect if you’re looking for something sweet in the morning but want to avoid excess sugar. All you have to do is mix in some fruit! Berries and bananas are our favorites (two foods we mentioned earlier on this list).

Greek yogurt is filled to the brink with probiotic bacterial cultures, calcium, and protein, and Vitamin D is often added to it as well. There are also several alternative varieties of yogurt that are dairy-free!

Get your day started off right at Kate’s Kitchen!

There you go! Those are fourteen of the healthiest (and most delicious) breakfast foods on the planet. Maybe you’re a coffee and oatmeal type of person, or maybe you enjoy a more unorthodox breakfast consisting of sliced-up avocado drizzled in olive oil. Whatever the case, you can’t go wrong with one of the aforementioned breakfast foods.

You also can’t go wrong with a Sunday morning visit to Kate’s Kitchen! It’s okay to satisfy those pancake and waffle cravings every once in a while, and if you’re going to do so, you might as well do it at Kate’s. Get your day started off on a high note with one of our ever-popular breakfast dishes!

Take a look at our breakfast menu!

Give us a call if you would like to place a to-go order!

Kate’s Kitchen… (816) 436-7200

Ronnie’s Restaurant… (913) 831-8600